Automobile door latching means



May 3, 1960 L. P. GARVEY ETAL AUTQMOBILE Doop` LATCHING MEANS 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 fwn/mer hwk/@6&7 e (Haw ArraRA/Y Filed Dec. 17, `1957 May 3, 1960 L. P. GARVEY ErAL 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING MEANS '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DSC. 17, 1957 A WRAEY May 3, 1960 1 .P.GARVEY ETA!- 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING MEANS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 a Y i (Z #i @j M5359' ZW May 3, 1969 L. P. GARVEY ETAL 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING MEANS May 3, 1960 1 P. GARVEY ETAL 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING MEANS Filed Dec. 17. 195'? 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 t TOPNE Y May 3 1960 1 P. GARvr-:Y ETAL 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE Doop` LATCHING mms Filed nec. 17, 1957 /74/ 7 sheets-sheet s May 3, 1960 L. P. GARVEY ETAL 2,935,351

AUTOMOBILE nooR LATCHING MEANS Filed Dec. 17, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 cig/4J A T TOR/VE V rates AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCHING li/IEANS Application December 17, 1957, Serial No. 703,407

14 Claims. (Cl. 292-45) This invention relates to automobile door latching means, and more particularly to a no'vel latch and to a novel latching system for a pillarless automobile having front and rear doors.

One feature of the invention is that it provides improved door latching means; another feature of the invention is that it provides an improved latch including combined motor and mechanical actuation; still another feature of the invention is that it provides a novel latch which is motor driven but which also includes a solenoid for triggering the bolt so that the bolt may be quickly retracted by spring means without Vwaiting for slower motor operation; yet a further feature of the invention is that it provides a latch having a bolt movable between projected and retracted positions, a detent for holding the bolt in projected position and a moto'r driven drive lever mounting the detent so that the detent may be used to drive the bolt to projected position as well as to hold it in such position; a further feature of the invention is that it provides a novel latching system comprising a sill latch on each door and including coincidental locking means; yet another feature of the invention is that there is a solenoid connected to the locking means of each of the sill latches and a switch operator on at least one door for energization of all of the solenoids to lock all of the doors simultaneously; and a further feature of the invention is that it includes novel means providing lateral stability o'f the bolt.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing a portion of the front and rear doors of an automobile having the improved latch means therein, portions of the outer panels of the doors being broken away to show underlying structure;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. l, looking from inside the automobile;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to a po'rtion of Fig. l on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail section taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail section taken along the line 77 of Fig. 2;

Fig. S is a section taken along the line 3-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a section taken along the line 9--9 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a sectio'n taken along the line 10-10 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l1 is a section through a portion of the sill latch taken along the line 11-11 of Fig. 5;

Fig. l2 is a section taken along the line 12-12 of Fig.

Fig. 13 is a section taken along the line 13-13 of Fig. 4;

arent O ice Fig. 14 is a section showing the sill latch bolt and keeper, taken along the line 14-14 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. l5 is a wiring diagram.

This latch and latching system are particularly designed for a pillarless four-door automobile of the type disclosed in the copending application of l ames D. Leslie et al. entitled Door Latch for a Pillarless Automobile, led January 19, 1955, as Serial No. 482,772, which issued on March 18, 1958, as Patent No. 2,827,321. Automobiles of this type have opposite front doo'rs, each hingedly mounted at its front side on the body, and opposite rear doors, each hingedly mounted at its rear side on the body. The doors are of the sci-called convertible type which do not have a window frame. When the window is lowered, the upper edge of the door forms the belt line of the automobile, and consequently, there is no means for latching the doors to' the side roofrail of the automobile. At each side of the automobile body, the front and rear doors are latched to each other by a main latch, preferably located near the belt line. The primary purpose of this main latch is to hold the doors in proper alignment when clo'sed. The front door is latched at its lower rear corner to the automobile sill or rocker panel by a front door subsidiary sill latch and the rear door is latched at its lower front corner to the sill by a rear door subsidiary silll latch.

In the apparatus disclosed and claimed herein, coincidental lo'cking means are provided whereby a plurality of doors may simultaneously be locked by operation of a single switch on one of the doors. In the novel latching arrangement, the sill latch for either door may be released mechanically by an inside operator or by an outside operator and movement of parts of the sill latch closes an electrical circuit which triggers the main latch bolt. Since the drive motor for the main latch is too slow for desired operating characteristics, a solenoid is energized simultaneously with the drive motor to move the bolt holding detent away from the bolt and the bolt is retracted quickly by a spring.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 2t) designates generally the front door of an automobile and 22 designates generally the rear door of the automobile. There is no center pillar between the doors and the doors are latched together by a main latch designated generally as 24 which is carried in the front door and which' engages a keeper 26 mounted in lthe rear door. The front door is latched to the automobile rocker or sill 28 by a front door subsidiary sill latch designated generally as 30 and the rear door is latched to the sill 28 by a rear door subsidiary latch designated generally as 32.

The front door may be opened from outside the automobile by means of an outside operator comprising a push button 34 slidably mounted in a stationary gripping handle 36. The push button 34 is connected to a lever 38 which is connected through a rod 4t? to the sill latch 3i) so that operation of the push button pulls up on the rod 40, A conventional type o'f turn handle 42 on the inner door panel comprises an inside operating means. This turn handle is connected to the sill latch 30 by a rod 44. The door may be locked from inside by a conventional garnish molding button connected to the sill latch 3i) by means of a rod 48 and the door may be lo'cked from the outside by means of a conventional key cylinder device 50 connected to the sill latch 3l) by means of a rod 52.

The rear door may be opened from outside by a push button 54 slidably mounted in a ixed gripping handle 56 and co'nnected through a lever 58 and rod 60 to the rear sill latch 32. A conventional type of inside handle (not shown) is connected through a free wheeling safety mechanism designated generally as 62 and a connecting rod 63 to the sill latch. The rear door has no outside key lock but may be locked from the inside by means of a garnish niolding buttonV 64 connected through a rod 66 to the sill latch 32.

i Sill latches The front door sill latch 30` is shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, 5, 1l, 12, 13 and 14. The latch comprises an L-shaped frame 70 upon which is pivotally mounted a bifurcated bolt 72. As shown best in Fig. 3, the bolt is mounted on a stud 74 extending within a housing 76 secured to the latch frame and the bifurcated lower end of the bolt projects out'of the open lower end of the housing for engagement with a keeper designated generally as 7S. The keeper includes a striker stud 80 which is straddled by the arms of the bifurcated bolt when the door is latched. The keeper also has a` dovetail portion including a recess inwhich is mounted a movable shoe member, this member being pivoted on a stud 86 and being urged by a torsion spring 88 toward the outside of the automobile. A rigid L-shaped'dovetail wedge 90 projects below the lower edge of the door from the subsidiary latch frame and is adapted to enter the recess 82 in wedging engagement with the pivoted shoe member 84 to hold the door against rattling. Y

The bolt 72 is urged toward unlatchedposition by a coil spring 92 which is mounted on and anchored at one end to the bolt stud 74 and which is hooked at its other end on a pin 72a projecting from the side of the bolt.

When the door is closed, the bolt is held in the iatched position illustrated by a detent 94 which is pivotally mounted on the latch frame and which has a shoulder 94a adapted to engage a complementary tooth shoulder 72b on the bolt. The detent 94 is rigidly connected toV a stud 96 rotatably mounted on the frame. A second tooth shoulder 72e` on the bolt provides a safety latch position. A detent actuator lever 98 is connected rigidly to a stud 100 which is journaled in the outer wall of the bolt housing '76 and which rigidly carries on lthe out` side of the bolt housing a switch actuator lever 102. The detent pivot stud 96 and the actuator lever stud 100 are mounted in axial alignment and the actuator lever 98 is formed with a rightY angular flange 98a which overlies the detent so that when the detent moves in a clockwise direction as the parts appear in Fig. 5, the detent actuator lever 9S and the switch actuator lever 102 similarly swing in a clockwise direction. A spring 104 connected between the switch actuator lever 102 and a tab on the latch frame biases the levers 98 and 102 Yin a counterclockwise direction as the parts appear in Fig. 5.

For operation of the latch 30 from outside the automobile, the push button 34 (Fig. 1) is connected through the lever 38 and the rod 40 to a bell crank 106 pivoted on the latch frame at 108 and havingfits other arm articulated at its lower end to an intermittent link 110 which at its free end has an outwardly turned tab ln connected to a' locking lever later to be described. Intermediate its ends, the intermittent link is formed with a coupling shoulder 1101 which is adapted to pick up the turned end of a latch actuating lever 112 which is xedly mounted on the stud 96 for swinging movement with the detent 94. f

In order to release the latch from inside the car, the inside remote handle 42 (Fig. 1) is connected through the rod 44 to one end of a lever 114 pivoted intermediate its ends at 116 on the latch frame. The other arm of this levcroverlies one arm of a bell crank 118 which is pivoted on the frame at 120 and the other arm of which has an outwardly turned ange 11311 lying between the detent actuator lever 93 and the intermittent link shoulder 11015. The 'ange 118:1 is formed with a tab 118b for engagement with the intermittent link shoulder 110b Y On the opposite side of the frame from the intermittent link 110 a locking lever 122 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, this lever being formed with an arcuate slot 122a adjacent one end through which the tab l10n 'nassaui of the intermittent link extends. The end of the locking lever adjacent the slot 122a is connected by the rod 4% to the garnish molding button 46 and the other end of the lever is connected by the rod 52 to the key cylinder locking device.

When the door is closed and` it is desired to open it from outside, the push button 34 is depressed, pulling up on connecting rod 40- which leads to the sill latch. This Y operation causes clockwise rotation (see Fig. 4) Yo t, the

outside operating bell crank 106, shifting theintermittent link to the left in Fig. 4 so that its shoulder 117% acts through tab 118b and ange 118a of bell Vcrank 118 to pick up the latch actuating lever112 and swing it in a counterclockwise `direction against the force of a coil spring 124 which is .connected Ybetween lever 112 and the latch frame 70. Since the detent 94 and the operating lever 112 are both pinned to the stud 96, the detent is swung up to move its shoulder 94a out of holding engagement with the latch tooth shoulder 72b. The latch spring 92 tends to rotate the bolt 72 toward unlatched position and this action is aided by the conventional door sealing weather strip which exerts an outward pres- `sure on the door and tends to move the bolt away from the striker stud 80. It should be remembered that this mechanical operation as so far described aects only the sill latch 30. Retraction of the main latch bolt is electrically initiated as will be later described.

If' the sill latch is locked either by means of the push button 46 or by means of operation of the key cylinder 50, the locking lever 122 is swung in a counterclockwise direction as the parts appear in Fig. 4. Since the shiftable and pivotally mounted intermittent link 110 is connected by means of its end tab 11th: to the locking lever 122, the intermittent link will be swung downwardly as the parts appear in Fig. 4 so that-its pick-up shoulder 110b moves away from the tab 118b on the lever 118 and the intermittent link 110 is uncoupled from the detent actuating lever 112 and merely tree wheels without swinging the detent actuating' lever 112. It should be noted that the door, even though locked from the outside, is not locked from the inside since the inside handle 42 does notoperate through the intermittent link 110 but operates'drectly on the bell crank 118 through the -rod 44 and the remote lever 114-. Consequently, the door may always be opened from the inside regardless of whether it is locked against outside operation.

The door latch incorporates the features of remote undogging, automatic undogging and 'keyless latching. Remote undogging means that when the door is locked against outside operation and the door is opened from the inside,'the latch parts will be shifted back to unlatched condition. Automatic undogging means that if the latch parts are shifted to locked condition while the door is open, normal' closing movement of the door will shift the parts to unlocked condition. However, the structure also incorporates keyless locking and the door may be locked without a key by apconscious manipulation on the part of the operator. v l

The latch actuating lever 112 is formed as a bell crank as shown in Fig. 4, one leg having an upwardly projecting foot Y126 extending toward a downwardly pro'- jecting undogging foot 128 on the intermittent link. When the latch parts are shifted to locked position, the intermittent link swings counterclockwise so that its undogging foot 128 approaches closer to the foot 126 of the lever 112. If the inside handle Yis now operated, the lever 112 is swung in a clockwise direction so that its foot 126 engages the foot 128 of the intermittent link and vswings the intermittent link back to the unlocked condition of Fig. 4. An overcenter spring 124 (Fig. 5) yieldably holds the parts in either position. Similarly, when the door is slammed shut with'the parts in locked condition, the bolt turns upon engagement with the striker stud 80, causing the detent 94 to cam over the safety tooth and .lthing tooth at the top end of the bolt. Since a., the lever 112 turns with the detent, it swings momentarily in a clockwise direction (Fia. 4) to cam the intermittent link back to unlocked condition. However, should the operator decide to lock the door without a key, he may push in on the push button 34 while the door is being slammed shut. This operation shifts the intermittent link 110 to the left in Fig. 4, moving its undogging foot 128 out of the path of movement of the foot 126 on the lever 112 so that the intermittent link is not cammed back to unlocked condition.

A coincidental locking arrangement later to be described in detail is provided by a solenoid 129, the plunger 128a of which is connected by a link 130 to one arm of a beil crank 132 which is pivoted at 134 on the latch frame. rhe other arm of the bell crank 132 extends into a notch 122b formed adjacent one end of the locking lever 122 so that when the solenoid plunger is retracted, the locking lever is swung to its locking position.

The sill latch 38 carries two switches for actuation of the main latch 24. One switch 136 is mounted on the latch frame near the upper end thereof so that its plunger 136a is held in when the door is closed by a turned ange 10241 at the upper end of the switch actuator lever 102. When the plunger is in, switch 136 is open. When the door is opened, clockwise movement of the detent (Fig. lifts up on the actuator lever tab 98a to swing the actuator lever and the switch actuator 102 to which it is keyed clockwise and permit the switch 136 to close. When the door is open, the spring 92 swings the bolt clockwise to its unlatched position so that the bolt latching tooth underlies the lower cam edge of the actuator lever 98 and holds the levers 98 and 102 in such a position that the ange of lever 182 does not abut the switch plunger, and so long as the door remains open with the bolt in unlatched position, the switch 136 remains closed.

A second switch 138 is mounted in a housing 140 bolted to the latch frame adjacent the dovetail wedge 90. A leaf spring switch actuator 142 extends down to a location where its free end may be engaged by the outwardly projecting edge of the keeper 78 when the door is closed. The switch 138 normally is closed by an internal spring and is held open when the door is closed so that actuator 142 engages the striker 78 as shown best in Fig. 4.

In the rear door, the subsidiary sill latch 32 is similar to the front door latch 30 except that no key locking apparatus is provided. The rear door includes a safety free wheeling structure which is identical to the structure described in detail in the copending application of Daniel M. Adams et al. entitled Automobile Door latching System, led March 25, 1957 as Serial No. 648,209. Since this safety free wheeling arrangement is not a feature of the present invention, the structure will be described only generally. A solenoid 146 is mounted on a subframe 148 in the rear door and the solenoid plunger is connected through links 150 and 152 to the inside remote operating apparatus. The inside handle (not shown) is connected directly to a lever 154 which is pivoted intermediate its ends at 156 on the subframe 148. The lever 154 has at its lower end an L-shaped slot 158. A bell crank 169 is pivoted at 156 and has one arm connected to the connecting rod 63 which runs to the sill latch. The other arm of the bell crank extends downwardly and is formed with a generally vertical slot 161 overlying the vertically extending leg of the L-shaped slot 158. A pin 162 on the end of the link 152 extends through both slots 158, 161. When the parts are in the position shown, the inside remote handle is positively connected to the sill latch, and when the handle is turned, the connecting rod 63 will be raised so that the rear door sill latch will be triggered. 1f the solenoid 146 is energized, pin 162 is pulled down into alignment with the arcuate generally horizontal stem portion of the slot 158. Now, when the inside handle is operated, the handle and the lever 154 merely free wheel since the lever 154 is uncoupled from the bell crank 160. The solenoid 146 may be so connected that it is energized whenever the gear shift lever is in a drive position and the ignition switch is on, as explained more fully in application Serial No. 648,209.

Main latch The main latch which latches the doors to each other is shown in Figs. l, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. This'latch includes a frame which is bolted on the front door and which pivotally mounts a bolt 172 on a pivot stud 174. The bolt has a latching nose -172a, a tail 17211 for connection to a retractor spring, a stop surface 172C for abutment with a rubber bumper 176 when the bolt is in retracted position, and a drive stud 172d which projects from a side of the bolt.

As discussed earlier, the bolt is motor driven from its retracted position in which the stop surface 172e` abuts the rubber bumper 176 to its projected position illustrated in Figs. l and 2. A drive motor 178 has its output shaft connected to a conventional speed reducing gear box 180 which is mounted on the outside surface of the latch frame 170.. The gear box output shaft projects through an opening in the frame and lixedly mounts a drive cam 182 having a cam surface 182a for operating two limit switches later to be described. A link 184 is eccentrically mounted on the cam 182 and extends upwardly, its upper end being connected in an elongated slot 186e formed in a drive lever 186 which is pivotally mounted on the stud 174 coaxially with the bolt 172. The drive lever has an integral hook portion 18621 which overlies the drive stud 172d projecting from the bolt and which is adapted to move the bolt from projected to retracted position. As will be explained more fully below, in normal operation this hook does not drive the bolt. In the event of failure of the rnechanical bolt drive means, the hook would be eiective to retract the bolt. A strong helical spring 188 is mounted on the drive lever 186 and connected to the link 184 to bias the link toward the bottom of the slot 186a. This provides a take-up arrangement and also prevents damage to the parts while permitting complete engagement of the bolt 172 in the striker if the bolt engages fully in the striker before the motor completes its drive cycle. A detent 190 is pivotally mounted on the drive lever at a location intermediate the pivot stud 174 and the slot 186:1, the detent being formed with a notch providing a drive shoulder 190a adapted to engage the drive stud 172d on the bolt to drive the bolt to projected position and to hold it therein. A relatively weak coil spring 192 biases the detent upwardly in a position to engage the drive stud.

A strong coil spring 194 is connected between the tail 172i; of the detent and the drive lever 186 and this spring is used in normal operation to retract the bolt. While the hook 18611 on the drive lever would retract the bolt through the motor, the motor is too slow to provide instantaneous operation, and consequently, the bolt is retracted by the spring 194 as soon as the detent is triggered out of holding engagement with the bolt. To trigger the detent, there is a solenoid 198 which is connected in parallel with the motor 178 so that it is energized at the same time that the motor 178 is energized. The solenoid plunger 198e is connected in a slot in a lever 200 which is pivoted on the latch frame at 202. A link 264 connects this lever to the detent 190. Consequently, when the solenoid 198 is energized, the detent is imrnediately pulled away from holding engagement with the bolt so that the spring 194 may retract the bolt without waiting for the slower motor operation.

Means are also provided through which mechanical retraction of the bolt is provided. A lever 206 overlies the lever 200 and is pinned thereto by an adjusting stud 208. The lever 206 is mechanically connected by a rod 209 tothe bell crank. 106in the subsidiary latch 30 so that levers 206 and 200 are swung downwardly upon push button operation. This downward movement will pull the detent away from the bolt, the pin and slot connection between the solenoid plunger and the lever 200 permitting this movement without moving the solenoid plunger. Unless there is a failure of electrical power, the solenoid 198 triggers the detent and mechanical operation is not required. l

Motor limit switches 212 and 214 are mounted on the latch frame and are provided with leaf spring actuators 212a and 21411, respectively, for engagement with the surface 182e of the drive cam 182 so that the cam operates one limit switch at the end of its travel in each direction to condition the motor for reverse operation at the end of each bolt retracting cycle and each bolt projecting cycle. A limit switch 216 for the solenoid 198 is mounted on the latch frame adjacent the top thereof. Thislrswitch has a leaf spring actuator 218 adapted to he engaged with a cam surface 220 onthe bolt 172. When the bolt nearly reaches its retracted position, the actuator rides down a sloping portion 22011 of cam surface 220 so that the limit switch 216 opens to break the circuit to the solenoid 198.

The bolt carries a wedge block 222 which cooperates with a wedge block 224 on an extending portion of the frame so that the bolt is jammed tightly between the wedge block 224 and a pad 226 on the frame to provide lateral stability. As shown best in Fig. 7, the wedge yblock 224 is biased by a spring 225. The end of the bolt nose is tapered (see Fig. and the striker 26 houses a nylon keeper element 228 having a V-shaped notch for reception of the tapered bolt to insure against anylooseness in the relationship ofthe bolt and striker.

Electrical circuit Fig. shows the electrical circuit 'for the latching system. The automobile battery 240 has one side connected to ground and the other side connected to one terminal of each of four switches connected in parallel. These are the switches 136 and 138 described in connection with the front door sill latch and similar switches 13611 and 13811 on the rear door sill latch. All the switches are open when the doors are closed. The other side of each of the parallel connected switches is connected to the coil 242 of a relay having two normally open contacts 24211 and 242b and a normally closed contact 242e. VThe other side of the coil 242 is connected to ground. The normally open relay contact 24211 is connected to the solenoid limit switch 216 which, in turn, i s connected to the detent retracting solenoid 198. The normally open relay contact 242b is connected through the motor limit switch 212 to the retract coil of Vthe reversible motor 178 and the normally closed relay contact 242e is connected through the motor limit switch 214 to the projecting coil of the motor 178. The batteryV 240 is also connected to the coil 246 of a relay having a normally open contact 24611. The other side of the relay coil is connected through a switch 248 to ground. The switch 248, as shown in Fig. l, may be mounted on the front door 20. One side of the relay contact 24611 is connected to the battery and the other side is connected to two solenoids 129 and 250 which are connected in parallel as illustrated. The solenoid 129 is the coincidental locking solenoid for theffront door sill latch 30 and the solenoid 250 is the coincidental locking solenoid for the rear door sill latch 32. In

v order to provide operation of the safety free wheeling device shown in Fig. l, the battery 240 is connected through the ignition switch 252 and another series connected-switch 254 to the solenoid 146. The switch 254 may be manually operated by the automobile transmission'selector lever and may be so arranged that it is closed when the selector lever is in any drive position as fully disclosed in application S.N. 648,209. When the switch 254 and the ignitionswitch 252 both are closed, vthe solenoid 146V is energized and the rear door handle merely free wheels. If desired, another solenoid for the other rear door can be` connected in parallel with the solenoid 146 to lock both rear doors simultaneously. Similarly, it will be understood that.. the coincidental locking system may be applied to four doors of an automobile merely by connecting two other solenoids for the other doors in parallel with the solenoids 129 and 250, and it will be understood that a similar wiring arrangement to that illustrated in connection with the motor 178 and bolt. retracting solenoid 198may be provided for the front and rear doors at the other side of a four-door automobile.

Operation If the front door 20 is opened by means either of the outside push button 34 or the inside turn handle 42, the bolt in the sill latch 30 will be mechanically released as described above in connection with the sill latch. If the door was locked, of course, the mechanical actuator from the outside push button would be uncoupled and the door could only be opened from inside. Mechanical actuation ofthe sill latch 30 results in movement of the switch actuator lever 102 and closure of switch 136. When the door is opened, switch 138 also closes to provide a parallel safety circuit although in normal operation the bolt 72 in the sill latch holds the switch actuator lever 102 away from the plunger 13611 of switch 136 so that switch 136 remains closed so long as the bolt is in its unlatched position. When the switch 136 closes, it completes a circuit through relay coil 242, energizing the relay and closing contacts 24211 and 242!) while opening contact 242C. Closure of contact 24211 completes a lcircuit through the bolt retracting solenoid 198 so that the detent in the main latch is pulled away from the bolt and the retracting spring 194 retracts the bolt. Simultaneously, relay contact 242b closes, completing a circuit to the motor through the retract coil and the motor operates through its retract cycle. As'pointed out earlier, normally the motor does not retract the bolt since the spring 194 is quicker. As the bolt approaches its fully retracted position, the actuator for the solenoid limit switch 216 rides down the sloping portion 22011 of the bolt cam surface 220, opening the limit switch 216 and deenergizing the solenoid 198 so that the detent spring 192 may pull the detent upwardly withY the detent drive shoulder 19011 in position to engage the drive stud 172d on the bolt when the door is closed. When the motor completes its retract cycle, the ca m 182 will open the limit switch 212 to shut the motor oi. When the motor started its retract cycle, the cam 182 moved away from the limit switch 214 and allowed it to close. However, at this time the relay contact 242e was open.

When the door is slammed shut, the bolt of the sill latch will engage its keeper and move to latched position, swinging the switch actuator 102 into engagement with the plunger 13611 of the switch 136 so that the switch 136 is held open. At the same time, switch 138 is opened by engagement of its plunger with the striker so that the relay coil 242 is deenergized and the circuit elements return to the position shown in Fig. l5. Operation of the rear door is similar to operation of the front door.

The electrical circuit provides an interlock to prevent the bolt from being projected so long as either door is open. This is necessary because the bolt, when projected, overlaps the edge of the rear door and the bolt and the door would be damaged in the event the bolt was projected while either door was open and the open door subsequently was closed. Referring to Fig. 15, so long as the front door is open the switches 136, 13611 are closed, and so long as the rear door is open the switches 138,v 138aare closed. When any one ofthe switches is closed;

relay coil 242 is energized and its switch 242e is held open, breaking the circuit to the project coil of the motor 178. When both doors are closed, switches 136, 136:1, 138 and 13811 are open, deenergizing the relay coil 242 and permitting its switch 242C to close,1 permitting energization of the motor project coil.

A socket, as 260, is provided on each sill latch for connection with the wires from the switches and solenoid on each sill latch, md a socket 262 is provided on the main latch for connection with the wires from the switches, solenoid and motor on the main latch.

If manually operated switch 248 is closed, the relay 246 is energized, closing switch 246a and completing a circuit through coincidental locking solenoids 129 and 250 so that both doors are locked. If desired, solenoids for the other two doors of a four-door automobile may be connected in parallel with solenoids 129 and 250 so that all four doors can be locked in a single operation. Also, if desired, a parallel-connected switch may be provided on the other front door so that all four doors can be locked by t Ae driver or by apassenger.

While we have shown and described one embodiment of our invention, it is capable of kmany modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and .arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A door latching system Afor a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed, comprising: means for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, including a bolt movable between latched and unlatched positions; a front door subsidiary latch for latching the front door to the body; a rear door subsidiary latch for latching the rear door to the body; operating means on the front door for releasing said front door subsidiary latch and substantially simultaneously moving said bolt to unlatched position; operating means on the rear door for releasing said rear door subsidiary latch and substantially simultaneously moving said bolt to unlatched position; locking means on each door for rendering the operating means on that door ineiective; a lock operator on each door for operating the locking means on that door; and coincidental locking means including an operator on one door for operating the locking means on both doors simultaneously.

2. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed, comprising: means on one door for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other including a bolt movable between latched and unlatched positions; a front door subsidiary latch for latching the front door to the body; a rear door subsidiary latch for latching the rear door to the body; operating means on the front door for releasing said front door subsidiary latch and substantially simultaneously moving said bolt to unlatched position; operating means on the rear door for releasing said rear door subsidiary latch and substantially simultaneously moving said bolt to unlatched position; locking means on each door for rendering the operating means on that door ineffective; a lock operator on each door for operating the locking means on that door; a solenoid in each door connected to the locking means thereof; and coincidental locking means including a switch operator on one door connected to the solenoids in both doors for operating the locking means on both doors simultaneously.

3. A door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed, comprising: a main latch on the front door, said latch having a bolt movable between latched and unlatched positions, said bolt engaging with a striker on the rear door to latch the doors together when the doors are closed; a subsidiary latch on each of said doors for latching each door to the body; electrical means for operating said main latch; mechanical means for operating each subsidiary latch; first control means on the front door including a common actuator for said electrical means and for the mechanical operating means for the front subsidiary latch; second control means on the rear door including a common actuator for said electrical means and for the mechanical operating means for the rear subsidiary latch; locking means on each -subsidiary latch for uncoupling the mechanical operating means for rendering the operating means on that door ineiective; a lock operator on each door for operating the locking means on that door; motor means in each door connected to the locking means thereof; and coincidental locking means including an operator on one door connected to the motor means in both doors for operating the locking means on both doors simultaneously.

4. In a door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed,.means':or latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, comprising: a latch on one door having a bolt movable between a projected position in engagement with a striker on the other door and a retracted position, a movably mounted drive member, a detent pivotally mounted on said drive member for holding the bolt in projected position, motor means connected to said drive member for moving said drive member and detent between bolt holding and bolt released positions, a solenoid connected to said detent for pivoting the detent out of bolt-holding position, and spring means connected to the bolt for moving the bolt to retracted position when the detent is out of engagement therewith.

5. In a door` latching system for a pillarless autobile having a body with front and rear doors, the freeedges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed, means for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, comprising: a latch on one door having a frame and a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between a projected position in e11- gagement with a striker on the other door and a retracted position, a drive lever movably mounted on the frame, a detent pivotally mounted on said drive lever, said detent having a shoulder for engagement with the bolt for driving the bolt to its projected position and for holding the bolt in projected position, motor means connected to said drive lever for moving the drive lever and the detent between bolt-holding and bolt-released positions, solenoid connected to said detent for pivoting the detent out of bolt-holding position, and spring means connected to the bolt for moving the bolt to retracted position when the detent is out of engagement therewith.

6. In a door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other when the doors are closed, means for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, comprising: a latch on one door having a frame and a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between a projected position in engagement with a striker on the other door and a retracted position, a drive lever movably mounted on the frame, a detent pivotally mounted on said drive lever, said detent having a shoulder for engagement with the bolt for driving the bolt to its projected position and for holding the bolt in projected position, motor means connected to said drive lever for moving the drive lever and the detent between bolt-holding and bolt-released positions, a solenoid connected to said detent for pivoting the detent out of boltholding position, spring means connected to the bolt for moving the bolt to retracted position when the detent is out of engagement therewith, and a circuit connected to said motor means and solenoid for simultaneous energization thereof.

cambi 1l s j -7. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 6 wherein said drive lever has an integral hook overlying a portion of the bolt and adapted to move the boltto retracted position upon operation of the motor means.

8. In a door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent eachother when the doors are closed, means for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, comprising: a latch on one door Vhaving a frame and aV bolt mounted on said frame for movement between a projected position in engagement with a striker on the other door and a retracted position, said bolt having a drive stud projecting therefrom, a drive lever movably mounted on the frame, a detent pivotally mounted on said driVeleVer, said detent having a shoulder for engagement with said drive stud for driving the bolt to projected position and for holding the bolt in projected position, motor means connected to saiddrive leverfor moving said drive. lever and detent between bolt-holdingY and bolt-released positions, a.sole

noid connected to said detentfor pivoting the detent out YV.of bolt-holding position, and ,a spring connected to the bolt for moving the'bo'lt to retracted position when the detent is out of engagement therewith.

9. Apparatus of the character claimed in vclaim 8, wherein said drive lever has an integral hook overlying the drive stud which projects from the bolt.

10. Apparatus of the character-claimed in claim 8 wherein, said bolt has a tapered nose and wherein said striker has a wedge-shaped recess receiving the nose of the bolt when the bolt is in projected position to align the edges of the doors.

1l. In a door latching system for a pillarless automobile having a body with front and rear doors, the free edges of which lie closely adjacent each other, means for latching the free swinging edges of the doors to each other, comprising: a latch on the front door, said latch having a frame, a bolt pivotally-mounted on said frame for movement between a projected position in engagement with a striker on the rear door and a retracted position, said bolt having a drive stud projecting therefrom, a vdrive lever pivotally mounted on the frame coaxially with said bolt, a detent pivotally mounted on said drive lever at a, point spaced from the pivotal axis of the drive lever, said detent having a shoulder for engagement with said drive stud for driving the bolt to projected position and for holding the bolt in projected position, a .motor connected Vto said drive lever for moving said drive lever and detent between bolt-holding andboltg released positions, a solenoid connected to saiddetent for pivoting the detent out of bolt-holding position, anda spring connected to the bolt for moving the bolt to retracted position when the detent is out of engagement therewith.

12. Apparatus of the Ycharacter claimed in claim 11, wherein there is a lost motion connection between the solenoid and the detent whereby the detent can be pivoted out of bolt-holding position by mechanical means without operation of the solenoid.

13. In an automobile door latch, a frame; a bolt mounted on the frame for movement between pro,- jected and retracted positions, said bolt having a `substantially constant cross-sectional configuration throughout at least the major portion of its length; a Ywedge block on the bolt; and a complementary spring-pressed wedge block on the frame for engagementwith the wedge block Aon the bolt when the bolt is in projected position to provide lateral stability of the bolt. Y

14. In an automobile door latch, a frame; an elongated bolt pivotally mounted on the frame for movement between projected and retracted positions, said bolt having a substantially constantV cross-sectional configuration throughout at least the major portion of its length; a pad on the frame engaging one Vside of the bolt; a wedge block on the other side of the bolt, the wedge block being less than half the length of the bolt; and a complementary spring-pressed wedge block on the frame for engagement with the wedge block on the bolt when the bolt is in projected position to clamp the bolt against said pad and provide lateral'stability of the bolt.

References Cited in the tile of this patent VUNIFIED STATES PATENTS- 

